The Spartans fell to archrival Michigan 4-0 on Friday in Ann Arbor before returning home to trounce Big Ten doormat Indiana 9-0 on Sunday.
The fifth-ranked Wolverines (16-3, 6-0) stifled No. 19 MSU (11-8, 2-4), allowing the Spartans only one shot for the game.
Kelli Gannon paced the Wolverine attack, tallying five points for the day with two goals and an assist. Up 1-0 at halftime, Michigan exploded for three goals in the second half to secure the victory.
Michigan goalkeeper Molly Maloney saved the Spartans’ only shot, earning the win in net.
The loss marks the sixth-straight Spartan defeat at the hands of the Wolverines.
Junior forward Bridget Cooper notched a hat trick against the Hoosiers (1-11, 0-6). Junior forwards Jessica Wheeler and Maureen Halstead added two goals apiece to the winning effort.
MSU held Indiana without a shot and surrendered only one penalty corner the whole game.
The Spartans will next compete in the Big Ten Tournament, which starts Friday in Ann Arbor. Michigan clinched the top seed in the tournament with the win over MSU.
Men’s tennis
The men’s tennis team had a rough weekend at the ITA Region IV tournament in Madison, Wis.
Freshman Eric Simonton and sophomore Todd Townsend continued their impressive play, but they were the only Spartans to survive the first round.
Simonton ran his collegiate record to 6-0 by beating Indiana’s Paul Jacobson 6-2, 6-2 before suffering his first career setback, a 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 loss to Minnesota’s Harsh Mankad.
Townsend also fell in the second round, 1-6, 7-6, 6-3, to another Golden Gopher, Eric Robertson. Townsend (6-2 this fall) beat Mathew Kirst of Western Illinois in the first round 7-6, 7-5.
Sophomores Goran Topalo and Jimmy McGuire fell in the first round in singles play while the Spartans’ doubles teams were also ousted. Topalo and sophomore Rodrigo Abucham fell to a team from Purdue and the freshman team of Mike Jonckheere and Chris Mitchell fell to a pair from Wisconsin.
The tournament marks the end of the Spartans’ fall schedule.
Women’s swimming and diving
The MSU women’s swim team claimed its first Big Ten win Saturday when they drenched the Iowa Hawkeyes in their season opener at the McCaffree Pool.
A stacked diving lineup helped lead the Spartans to the win. Junior Carly Weiden, sophomore Summer Mitchell and sophomore Stephanie Anisko took first, second and third respectively in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events.
MSU also placed first in five swimming events.
Sophomore Katie Duncombe raced to two individual firsts in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:05.37 and in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:02.98.
She was also a member of the winning 200 medley relay team, along with sophomore Debbie O’Neil, junior Ildiko Szekely and sophomore Jessica Brutz.
Szekely had an individual first in the 200 butterfly, coming in at 2:03.43.
Senior Jutta Renner pulled in the last first for the women, with a time of 1:53.91 in the 200 freestyle.
The meet was the first home meet for MSU’s new head swimming coach Jim Lutz, who made his road debut with the men’s team on Friday.
The team is off until Nov. 18 when it travels to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan and Texas.
Men’s swimming and diving
The men’s swim team placed third on Friday at the Eastern Michigan Quad Meet in Ypsilanti. Big Ten rival Michigan took first in the meet with 781 points. Eastern snuck in at second with 538 points over MSU’s 500. Oakland University placed fourth with 300 points.
The 400 freestyle relay team was the Spartans’ only first place finish. The team of senior John Munley, junior Scott Shafer, senior Chad Ganden and freshman Rick Nichols won with a time of 3:07.13.
The men’s team will next compete on Nov. 10 at home against Eastern Michigan.
Women’s crew
Women’s crew traveled to the Mid-Atlantic region this weekend, racing at the Head of the Schuylkill in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
At the Head of the Schuylkill, the Spartans posted their lone win in the Club Eight category as the MSU A boat conquered 29 other boats with a time of 15:09. The boat finished 21 seconds ahead of its nearest competitor. The MSU B boat placed 13th in the same race.
In the Club Four race, the MSU A boat survived a crash with the University of Massachusetts to finish third with a time of 16:40. The MSU B boat placed 28th out of 36 in the same race.
The squad’s fall season is over.
Women’s soccer
After a tough 1-0 loss to Penn State in its final Big Ten game Friday, the MSU women’s soccer team beat Bowling Green 1-0 to round out its regular season - saving any hopes of receiving an NCAA bid.
The Spartans (12-5-2 overall, 5-4-1 Big Ten), were led by sophomore midfielder Heidi Lutz who scored the only goal of the game at the 35:35 mark of the game.
Freshman goalkeeper Stacy Heller, who filled in for senior goalie Sara Kloosterman who is sidelined with a knee injury, made five saves in the first complete shutout of her career.
